Helping Skills: Facilitating Exploration, Insight, and Action

by Clara E. Hill

In this fifth edition of her best-selling textbook, Clara Hill presents an updated model of essential helping skills for undergraduate and first-year graduate students. Hill's model consists of three stages--exploration, insight, and action--in which helpers guide clients in exploring their thoughts and feelings, discovering the origins and consequences of maladaptive thoughts and behaviors, and acting on those discoveries to create positive long-term change.

This book synthesizes the author's extensive clinical and classroom experience into an easy-to-read guide to the helping process. Aspiring helping professionals will learn the theoretical principles behind the three-stage model and fundamental clinical skills for working with diverse clients. Hill also challenges students to think critically about the helping process, their own biases, and what approach best aligns with their therapeutic skills and goals.

New to this edition are
detailed guidelines for developing and revising case conceptualizations,
expanded coverage of cultural awareness,
updated case examples that reflect greater diversity among clients and helpers, and
additional strategies for addressing therapeutic challenges.

Genres: Psychology, Counselling, Nonfiction, Textbooks, School, Academic, Grad School

485 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

Reviews

[Charvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this entire book for my course so you best believe I'm adding it to my reading tracker.

Academically speaking, this book brought forth good concepts and was always clear but I really think it could be shorter. There was just so much elaboration and repetition that I was falling asleep half the time.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book this year and think it is very good for teaching residents

[Jakob Peter]

This baddie took forever to read for class so you best believe I’m adding it to my Goodreads

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 - A great book to educate, inform, and show application for beginner therapeutic skills!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this on a whim from Half.com for 75 cents a while back, and have only recently gotten around to reading it closely. As it turns out, it's one of the more helpful and well-organized books I've read on the topic of counseling, and I wish it had been assigned in one of my counseling courses. It brings together client-centered, psychodynamic, and CBT-ish techniques and lays out a good overall scheme for when to go from exploration to insight to action.

[Travis McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for all helping professionals!

I have been reading this book since the first edition. I credit this book for much of my success as a therapist. The author does an incredible job teaching the counseling process. I highly recommend this book to all practicing therapists.

[Tania · Rating 2 out of 5]

Required text for Clinical Skills and Practicum I course.
Course Description:
This course provides students with a forum for integrating their classroom learning with their field
experiences. The course introduces students to basic counseling skills as well as the intake interview and mental status exam; the class is largely devoted to learning and practicing these skills. Course content will also address, as needed, ethics, psychopathology, psychological theory, and the role of the self in counseling. In addition, students will be in the field for the first part of a practicum that requires a minimum total of 360 hours, with 90 hours of direct client services. During the first semester, students will be observing and having limited interaction with clients under supervision.

Course Goal: The overarching goal of this course is to help students learn and begin to master skills essential to helping relationships and the competent practice of counseling and psychotherapy while having the opportunity to observe in a field setting. An additional goal is to provide a forum for discussing professional practice and development issues as they arise over the course of their training year.

[Shima]

It seems like a typical college textbook, and it is that, however, I think anyone who is interested in understanding a little about how therapy works (and why it works) and most importantly, anyone who wants to learn a little about how to be a better helper to people in day-to-day situation could enjoy paging through this book. It is well-written, I trust that it is well-researched, and it is just comprehensive enough for the average reader.

[Lorraynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this book for my graduate program and I have found it to be useful. I enjoyed learning and practicing the different skills. Some things are a bit repetitive, but that's okay. My teacher complemented it with a few chapters from CBT which was a great addition.

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this book for graduate school. Very helpful in learning the skills for the counseling relationship. Especially appreciated her “three-step model” talking about Exploration, Insight, and Action. Helpful in learning basic counseling skills as well. A good resource for education.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the therapeutic relationship and process. I like that it gave examples and that basic skills were covered. One caveat - this is the author’s perspective! Not everything in here is the be all end all. Keep your own approach in mind.

[:p]

read for school

was very informative! that being said i felt like the book could have been a bit shorter. there was a lot of unnecessary repetition. often felt like i was reading the same thing over and over again in some chapters.

[Ally Schaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the concepts are basic there is something about reading them in a book that makes them interesting.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential Manual for any helper to learn important skills. Helping skills. The three step model. Exploration, insight, and action.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text for counseling skills class. I learned a lot reading this book, even more trying to apply it as we went.

[JH Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good foundational stuff on helping skills

[Emma]

I actually really liked this textbook. This is the first textbook I have ever bought because I thought I might use it in the future.

[Sylwia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great text for beginner clinicians and a good refresher for us old-timers. Lots of references to Carl Rogers.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

CMHC 6020 - Techniques of Counseling
Fall 2022

Practical, smooth read, and application.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential book for beginning helpers.

[Megan]

fifth edition, not listed.
good basics though quite dull.
Counselling skills, term 1

[Maddi Whitman · Rating 5 out of 5]

read for school

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel my brain growing

[Jonas Møller Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good introduction book for the counseling field. I read it as curricullum in a master psychology course with the purpose as stated before. It deals with skills you automatic use in communication in your everyday life which normally, most of them, are used unconscious. It makes you more conscious about these skills which is really important regarding helping situations. Therefore I found it really ideal for 'first-time helpers' because it gives you the tools (in form of the three stages-model) to be very structured which give you a more relaxed attitude (contra nervous) as a first-time helper towards helping situations.

The only problem with the book, and why I give it 4 stars and not 5, is that it maybe restates itself a bit too often (the number of pages is a consequence of this). But in the end my conclusion is that it is a very good book which helped me develope a lot towards becoming a better helper.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in such a way to apply to "helpers" in various capacities (professional and otherwise), I found this book a pleasing outline of useful skills that can be used both socially and in a therapeutic context. Though many of the techniques and skills described in the book were ones in which I was already familiar, I found it useful to revisit them. Additionally, the online supplements (activities, critical thinking, etc.) highlighted within the book provided multiple ways to process and become familiar with the presented information.

[Kellyanne Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book at age 15 when I was a Peer Helper in high school. Now, I use this book in my clinical training for new staff to teach active listening. I recommend this book, especially if you work in a helping profession.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Besides the use of the word "helper" this was a pretty good book.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and the way it was organized. Appreciated how it blended three different styles to effectively empathize and understand your client.

[Cherene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super helpful in teaching counseling skills. Plus it was easy and enjoyable to read.

[William O. II]

next semester